After a shocking run to the Eastern Conference finals last season, the Indiana Pacers have struggled this year. They recorded their four straight loss, and their eighth consecutive loss on the road on Wednesday (Dec. 4th) as the Nets defeated them 99-90. Part of their struggles are being attributed to the poor form of guard Tyrese Haliburton, but coach Rick Carlisle thinks differently.
“Tyrese is doing a terrific job. He’s running the team, he’s keeping his wits about him, he doesn’t have all of his tools around him, but he’s making the best of it and we’ve just gotta stay in the fight,” Carlisle told the press after the defeat, per Sports Illustrated.
Haliburton finished his night with 17 points, three rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks. Currently, he is averaging 17.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals per contest while shooting 41.5% from the field and 33.3% from the three-point range in his first 23 games.
Tyrese Haliburton of Indiana Pacers (IMAGO / Icon Sportswire)
The guard himself recently addressed the team’s poor form, and his own performance. “I think the product we’re putting on the floor right now as a group is embarrassing,” Haliburton told reporters after their loss to Toronto.
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Haliburton says he doesn’t care about individual performance
While Haliburton has put up better numbers, he says he doesn’t care about his numbers, but the team’s performance. “I’m just trying to navigate the waters a little bit, figure out the right way to attack it, just be myself while also trying to help us win games,“ he told the press, according to CBS.
“So it feels good to see the ball go in — especially on the road, I’ve struggled on the road this year — but really all that matters right now is winning. And as the leader of this group, I don’t really care about individual anythings right now. We gotta put a better product on the floor.”
With their loss to the Nets, the Pacers dropped to 9-14 in their first 23 games. Following Brooklyn, the Pacers will resume action on Friday evening when they visit Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.
